


The Prince And Buck

by countvustafa



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, M/M, Royalty, prince - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27164056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/countvustafa/pseuds/countvustafa
Summary: In an unfortunate event, Buck saves a life of a young boy. Only to find out he is a prince. And why is his dad so cute.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 329





	1. Chapter 1

The truth is, now is not the time to be on standby. The blockade was taking much longer than planned. The traffic was starting to get rowdy. Buck observed the empty road in front of him. This was a rare sight indeed in LA. Never in his time since moving to the city that he would see an empty road in the middle of the day. This was a weird day indeed. Buck was feeling equally excited and nervous. He has never seen a royal convoy before. He'd seen his fair share of celebrities in LA, but never royals. 

It was all over the news for weeks. For the first time, the Mexican royal family is having an official visit to meet with the governor of the city. You could not open a newspaper without seeing pictures of the King and Queen. And lucky them, the city wanted all first responders to be all hands on deck during the visit. 

Buck wiped the sweat off his brow. The sun was beating harshly against them. He had been standing at their post since seven in the morning. The 118 was on standby just in case there was an emergency. It was a massive thing to plan and he had seen his fair share of Bobby stressing out in the station. The police were stationed at almost every post, waiting for the limousines to appear. People had gathered with phones out wanting to catch the limousines. 

"Alright, everyone. The cars are on their way. Everyone look sharp," said Bobby to the radio. 

Buck and the rest straightened their backs. 

A few dark cars were heading towards them fast. Each with a diplomatic flag on the side of each car. It went by like clockwork, the cars sped past them, all six of them. And then they disappeared. All that preparation and was over in less than 10 seconds. 

"That's it?" 

-.-.-

"Dad, can we go see that?" asked Chris, pointing to the tall and winding rollercoaster. 

Eddie looked at the tall structure and then back to his kid. He genuinely hates rollercoasters. Something about those loopty loops that does not sit well with him. He has to pretend to be brave for his son. Chris has been waiting for this moment for months. Back in his country, Chris has been researching non stop about all the fantastic places they could go in LA. He even had a list of things he must do while they are in the city. Eddie doesn't want to disappoint his kid. 

"Sure, let's do that." 

They walked to the crowd queuing for the rollercoaster. Chris was beaming like a regular kid. Eddie pulled the cap low on his head and Chris's, hoping that would suffice their disguises. For their sake and safety, Eddie hoped no one recognizes him. 

"It looks so high, dad." 

Eddie was a mess observing how tall the rollercoaster looked from up close. 

"Dad, why are we queueing?" asked Chris, tugging at his shirt.

"We need to queue, mijo. People are waiting for the ride just like us. It wouldn't be fair to them if we take their place," replied Eddie softly, pointing to the people giggling and watching the rollercoaster.

"I understand."

"Good," Eddie laid a peck on his son's curly hair. "Now, be patient. It's only a few more people and then it's our turn."

As they waited, Eddie thought about doing all this just to give Chris a sense of normalcy being a kid. Away from all the royal hoopla and scrutiny. He was lucky that royal family members are not allowed to make public appearances until they are twenty-one. And before Chris is put into the spotlight, Eddie wanted to give Chris as much childhood as he can. 

Eddie was instantly regretting getting on the rollercoaster as they drew nearer. The uber spicy food he ate that morning was not settling in his stomach. As they got onto the ride, Eddie was mumbling multiple prayers repeated, asking for the lord to protect them. Chris was having the time of his life, waving at the people starring at them. Once the ride started there was no way of getting out. Eddie almost barfed when the rollercoaster made the multiple loops. Once the ride was over Chris drone on and on about having loads of fun and wanting to ride it again and again. They even bought the pictures to show Eddie's sickening expression and Chris' delighted one.

"Come on, mijo. Let's buy a corndog," said Eddie. 

"What's a corndog?" 

"It's delicious. Look everyone is eating it," said Eddie, pointing to a group of kids, eating a corndog on a stick. 

"Can we?" 

"Sure, why not."

Eddie eyed the people around him. He was sure he spotted a familiar face a few meters away. They were probably his country's secret service doing their job incognito, they were told precisely to be discreet by the king and queen. Only to approach them in immediate danger. Thankful that his father and mother had finally agreed to them having a day off to themselves, away from the royal nonsense. 

"That will be four dollars," said the cashier. 

"Dad, can I pay?" asked Chris.

"Sure, you can."

Eddie watched in amusement as Chris dug into his jeans and pulled out a couple of their country currency and handed over to the cashier. The girl fumed and raised an eyebrow to Chris. 

"Kid, I think you have the wrong dollars here," said the girl, handing him back. 

"Oh, sorry," said Chris. 

He then stared up at Eddie, "Dad, can I have four dollars, please."

Eddie chuckled and took out four dollars and handed it to Chris. 

"There you go," Chris handed the cashier the four dollars. 

"Thanks." 

After buying the corndog, the pair decided to sit on the pier and look out at the ocean. Eddie suddenly felt the corndog and the spicy breakfast churn in his stomach. He started to feel acid reaching up to his throat. He knows this feeling. There it goes... 

"Oh, no," said Eddie, covering his mouth. 

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Stay here, Chris. I'll be back in a sec-"

Eddie could feel himself hurl and ran to the nearest trashcan. 

-.-.-

Buck cursed himself for the umpteenth time that afternoon. That stupid convoy took an extra two hours to settle and by the time Buck rushed back to the station and changed into his fancy clothes, he was dead late to his date. 

This was his first date in forever and Buck already messed it up. He stood at the pier overlooking the ocean. After a couple of minutes of texting her, Buck finally gave in. She probably had already blocked his number. Buck even bothered to buy flowers. 

Buck was walking along the pier when a sudden strong gush of wind blew. It was so strong that it could have knocked a kid off his legs. And then Buck saw it, right ahead of him, a kid was standing on the bench looking at the sea when the gale happened. The kid was thrown off balance and almost took a dip to the sea beneath him. Buck ran and jumped to the bench, and pulled the kid from almost falling over the rail. 

"Hey, kid. You're okay?" asked Buck, settling the kid back to the bench. 

The kid nodded softly probably in shock. Buck scanned him, noting that there was not a scratch on the kid. 

"Where's your family?" 

"My dad, he went there," said the kid pointing to the toilet. 

"I see. Come on, let me just stay with you while your dad comes back alright," said Buck with a wide smile. "We don't want any more mishaps."

"Sure," said Chris happily. 

A few short moments later, Eddie arrived back where he left Chris. He found his son laughing happily with a tall and extremely good looking man stranger standing beside him. Chris was looking like he was having a great time with the stranger who was holding a small bouquet. 

"Um, hello?" 

"Dad!" 

Chris launched himself into Eddie's arms. 

"Where'd you go?" 

"I'm so sorry, mijo. I had to go to the toilet," replied Eddie, pressing a kiss on Chris' forehead. "Emergency."

"Is it the breakfast again?" asked Chris softly. 

Eddie nodded, "Yes. It's breakfast again. And the rollercoaster. No more spicy food for me until we get home. And no more rollercoaster for me in a long time. That's a promise."

"I almost fell to the sea!" 

"What?" 

Eddie's face paled as he looked at Chris's nonchalant reaction. 

"Lucky Buck saved me!" 

Eddie darted to the man hovering beside them. 

"You saved my son?" 

The man hid his face in embarrassment, "Yeah. Don't be mad at him. There was this freak gust of wind, would've knocked anyone off, to be honest. I was just walking by. He's a smart kid, while you left, he was just there at the bench where you left him." 

"Yeah. I almost fell, but Buck quickly grabbed my foot and pulled me back. And he's a firefighter! He fights fire!" 

Buck chuckled. 

"You're a firefighter?" asked Eddie, looking at the very attractive man. 

The man was a good two inches taller than Eddie, with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was wearing a casual t-shirt and jeans and was looking mighty fine. Judging by the clothes and the flowers in his hand, he must be going on a date, or from a bad one. Both equally made Eddie curious. 

"Yeah. This is a normal Tuesday for me," said Buck jokingly.

"Thank god you're there. It was careless of me to leave him alone. Thank you so much. If you haven't been there, I dunno what would happen," said Eddie earnestly. 

"It's really nothing," said Buck brushing it off. 

"No-no. Don't sell yourself short. It's everything to me," said Eddie. "I have to thank you for saving my son's life. He's my world. Is there anything you would want? Just name it." 

"Buck said he was supposed to be on a date but he was late and she left, so he got nothing to do. Can we play the bumper cars with Buck, dad?" 

Buck blushed. Chris had said more than what he expected to. 

"Sure, if that's okay with you. I'm not keeping you from anything am I?" 

Buck shook his head, "As Chris said, my date bailed on me." 

"Ouch." 

"Yeah," said Buck sadly. "That's what you get when you're two hours late for a date." 

Eddie laughed, "Come on. Bumper cars it is then." 

-.-.-

Eddie, Buck, and Christopher spent the entire afternoon enjoying themselves at the amusement park. Buck had challenged Eddie who can have a higher score at the punching bag game, Eddie won. Then they ate some cotton candy and more park food and drenched themselves in ridiculous sugary sodas. The final game was a shooting tournament between Buck and Eddie, Buck won by a point to Chris's cheers. Winning Chris a huge almost 4-foot tall bear. 

Before the day drew to an end, the trio spent the last remaining hours looking out at the beautiful sunset. It was a cloudless day and you can see all the stunning colors that appear during a sunset. Eddie can't help himself but snapped a couple of photos of Chris in the background. Buck took a couple of photos of them. And then, Buck, Eddie, and Chris took several photos together. It was perfect. 

"Dad, can Buck follow us home?" asked Chris lazily, tired from all the excitement that day. 

"Mijo, come on. You want me to carry you?" 

Chris shook his head. Eddie ended up carrying Chris when he started dozing off on the side of his arm. The truck was a few meters away and Eddie could feel deep hesitance taking another step. He doesn't want this day to end. Eddie wanted more time to be with Buck. 

"Well, I guess this is it then," said Buck, stopping in front of Eddie's impressively huge truck. 

"I guess it is," said Eddie. 

Eddie started the engine and tucked Chris at the back seat before helping Buck stuff the huge bear at the back. Once they were alone at the parking lot, Eddie suddenly felt his nerves going overdrive. He had not felt this way in eons. It reminded him back as a teenager and wanting to talk with the popular girl. 

"That's a great kid," said Buck, once they closed the back of the truck. 

"The best one I know." 

"Yeah, he's special." 

The air suddenly became thick. Eddie found himself starring at his feet on the asphalt. His mind was suddenly a blank canvas. His blasted nerves! 

"I know it's none of my business, but where'd you guys from? Chris only told me you guys are here on holiday?" asked Buck. 

"Mexico," said Eddie softly. "Just got here a few hours ago." 

"Wow, you must be really happy your king and queen are here for the state meeting," said Buck. 

Eddie shrugged. 

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," said Buck almost hesitantly. "I had a really great time with Chris today. And-and you too Eddie." 

Eddie chuckled, does it weird that he find Buck's awkwardness adorable. 

"Yeah. Me too. We had a great time today. I think Chris had a really memorable time. Thank you, Buck." 

"No problem, Eds," said Buck, brushing it off as it was a small gesture.

Eddie's ears perked up. Eds. He likes it. 

"If-If you don't mind..." 

Eddie's insides were telling him to stop talking right now. This could get messy very quickly! His mind was re screaming at him, but his mouth was doing a completely different thing. Eddie had no control over his organs now. 

"We're here for another few days... Maybe you wanna hang out. With Chris and I. Together. Sometimes. If that's okay with you of course. I'll understand if you're busy. Saving lives. Fireman." 

Eddie was internally kicking himself. All those years going through expensive boarding schools and Swiss finishing schools, debate team, making speeches, meeting the head of states, all his years of training down the drain. He had turned into a bubbling idiot at the presence of this guy. 

"Sure. I have two days off." 

"That's great," said Eddie, grinning from cheek to cheek. "Uh, can I have your number?" 

Buck started telling Eddie his digits. 

"Alright, Buck. I'll give you a call," said Eddie, saving his number. 

"Alright, Eds." 

"I'll see you." 

"I'll see you." 

Once Eddie got into his car, he watched as Buck disappeared into the parking lot. Eddie had sworn he saw there was a spring in Buck's step. He was only so hopeful. As his body cooled down from the ridiculous show of nerves earlier, Eddie placed a hand over his chest. Why was his chest beating so wildly? He hadn't felt this way since Shannon. He glanced at the sleeping Chris from the top view mirror, a small smile plastered on his cute face. This was truly a perfect day. Eddie could not ask for a better one. He wanted to thank god for giving him today. For Chris, for the time alone, for all the fun they had together and lastly for Buck...

Shit! Did he invite Buck for a date tomorrow?


	2. Chapter 2

"So, does this boy crush on Eddie mean that you're finally ready to move on?"

Buck made a face to his elder sister. 

"Ha ha. That's cute." 

It has only been a few hours since his unexpected 'date' with Eddie and Chris earlier that day. Buck was so wrapped up in their date that he had completely forgotten that he had made plans with Maddie that evening. Buck reached his apartment two hours later than their initial plans. He arrived all heart eyes and his head up in the clouds, then he was brought back to earth as he saw his sister's furious face sitting on the couch with an open glass of red wine on the table. 

"Do you have a picture of them?" 

Buck pouted again, "I don't think so. I think it would be weird if I have pictures of a random stranger's kid right." 

Maddie rolled her eyes at her little brother. 

"What's weird is you spending an entire day with a hot single dad and his son and not tell me. So, when's the next date?" 

"Maddie, it was not a-" 

Just as Buck was about to finish the sentence, his phone rang. Buck scanned the unknown number on the screen, quickly grabbed the phone, and made a dash to another room, only to be chased by Maddie. 

"Is it him?" squealed Maddie excitedly. 

"Go away!" 

"What are you doing, answer it before he hangs up," ordered Maddie firmly standing in her spot. 

Buck quickly clicked on the green button. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi, is this Buck? It's me, Eddie." 

Buck instantly melted when he heard the smooth voice from the other end. Before this, he would never that it was possible for a human being could turn into a puddle. But this call proved otherwise. Buck suddenly lowered his breath and an excited grin appeared on his lips. 

"Oh, hey man. How are you?" 

"I'm fine. Couldn't say much about Chris though. He is knocked out," said Eddie, emphasizing the knocked out part. "Haven't seen him this knock out in forever. I have you to be thankful for that."

Buck chuckled, "He did go on most of the rides." 

"Yeah. Lucky me, having to carry him and that giant bear up to our rooms. Could've used some extra hands. Would've made things much easier."

"Yeah, man. Should've come along. That bear was huge," said Buck. "It was almost Chris's height." 

Maddie was standing across from him holding back her squeal. Buck could instantly tell by her overly excited expression that she was going to attack him the moment the phone call ends. Buck hopes this call will last a little more longer. It's pathetic how so into Eddie he was. Maddie made a sharp squeal, apparently biting her lips together didn't work. Buck motioned for her to leave the room, but Maddie had planted herself firmly in his space. 

"So, why did you call?" asked Buck nervously. 

"Uh, it's... I... It sounds silly," stammered Eddie. 

"Come on, Eds. It's me here." 

"Are you free tomorrow? I know you said you have two days off, but I don't want to impose on you or anything. If you have plans. You know... Chris... Yeah, Chris would want to spend more time with you." 

Buck felt his heart stopped. He was playing it cool, but inside he was screaming in ecstasy. 

"Yeah... Anything for Chris," said Buck. "So, what are your plans, Eds?" 

There was a pause at the other end. 

"Um, how about we just go around Hollywood boulevard, and I think Chris would love to go to museums. He's all smart and fascinated with planets and dinosaur and all those smart stuff, nothing like me when I was a kid." 

"He's a smart kid." 

"Yeah, he must've got it from his dad," joked Eddie. 

Buck laughed. Internally cringing at how whooped he sounded. 

"That's still left to be proven," teased Buck. 

"Oh, you don't think I'm smart?" 

"I didn't say anything, Eds." 

Buck heard Eddie's laugh from the other end. 

"Well, I guess we have to meet again for me to prove it to you... And obviously, Chris wants to meet you too," Eddie added the last part nervously. 

"Yeah. How about breakfast? I know a place, it has this amazing breakfast spread, and it's dirt cheap." 

"That sounds good. Chris would love an American breakfast. Is nine okay with you?" 

"That's fine. Chris normally wakes up early in the morning anyway," added Eddie. 

"Yeah." 

Buck suddenly heard someone calling Eddie's name in the background and started talking rapidly in Spanish. What followed was a long and frustrated sigh by Eddie.

"Buck, I'll see you tomorrow alright. Text me the location. I'll be there by nine." 

"Sure, Eds. Have a great night." 

"Yeah, you have a good night too. And thanks again for today," mentioned Eddie. 

"Nah, it's no problem. I haven't been in a ride in years." 

Buck heard another call for Eddie in Spanish in the background. A low muffled curse from under Eddie's breath. 

"Buck, I have to go. It was great talking to you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay." 

"Goodnight," said Ed, sounding frustrated. 

"Goodnight, Eddie." 

Click! 

Maddie suddenly erupted into a huge squeal. Her face was practically beaming at Buck. Buck tossed his phone away and quickly ran away from Maddie, knowing well that she will harass the entire night to force him to tell her all the contents of his and Eddie's conversation. 

"Come back here, Evan!" 

-.-.-.-.-

Eddie stared at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a simple jean shirt with dark pants, something casual and nothing too formal, but still showed off the right amount of bicep and chest outline. He styled his hair for the umpteenth time that morning, making sure it looked neat and tidy. Eddie ran a hand across his jaw. Maybe he should've clean shave that morning. Hmm, it's too late now. 

"Mijo, you look nice. Where are you going?"

"Good morning, mama. Just going to meet someone for breakfast," said Eddie, straightening the hem of his shirt.

"Is it someone I should know about?" asked Helena, a curious grin appearing on her face. 

Eddie went slightly red and shook his head. 

"Just breakfast with someone. Chris is coming with me." 

Helena's smile grew wider.

"Don't forget, tomorrow we with have that dinner with the governor. Make sure you don't have any plans for tomorrow. Your papa is growing more grey hairs by the second when talking about politics with these Americans," said Helena, wiping a stray hair off her face. "Everything is so confusing here." 

"Yeah, tell papa not to worry about it too much," said Eddie, leaning a kiss on his mother's cheek. "I'll talk to him when I get back. Tell papa to relax. Everything is going to be fine."

Helena retouched the hair on his face, "Do you have your security detail with you, Edmundo?" 

"Yup, cleared all of them this morning."

"Ay, Dios."

"I'm ready," appeared Chris from the bathroom in a fancy new outfit. 

"You look very handsome, Chris," said Helena, ruffling her grandson's hair. 

"Thank you, grandma."

"You two have a good time alright. And stay safe!" 

"Okay."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Buck checked the time on his clock. Only five more minutes until Eddie arrives. Buck had woke up ridiculously early that morning. He got up, went to the gym, cleaned himself well, got a facemask on to make sure his skin is glowing, and picked his clothes for breakfast. He never does this before. 

Something about wanting to dress up for Eddie. 

Not that he would admit it, of course. 

Right on time, a huge black truck appeared around from around the corner and parked right next to his jeep. Buck felt the butterflies in his gut again. This was getting ridiculous.   
Maybe he does have the tiniest bit of a man-crush on Eddie. Maybe a bit. Nah, he has a huge big fat crush on him. 

"Hey, Buck!" 

"Hey, Eds," greeted Buck with a white smile. 

Eddie jumped out from his truck like a shining handsome knight. Chris opened the door behind him and grabbed his crutches and rushed to Buck's side.

"Hello, superman. How are you this morning?" asked Buck, ruffling his hair. 

Chris laughed, "Great. We need to go on the rollercoaster again!"

"You guys look amazing, what's the occasion?" asked Buck, nothing the fancy clothes on Eddie and Chris. 

Eddie went slightly red. 

"Just wanna be comfortable for today."

"Yeah, well come on. Before all the good pancakes are gone. They have the fluffiest and best pancakes in LA."

The trio entered the quaint sized diner and sat at one of the empty booths. Chris was in awe as he noted all the vintage items they had in the place. He took a particular interest in the old record player situated near the door. Buck had ordered for them all the great stuff. A good protein meal for Eddie, who had informed him that he went to the gym that morning. A sugary kiddie meal for Chris. And a vegan meal for himself, something that definitely took Eddie by surprise. 

"You don't eat meat?" asked Eddie, cocking an eyebrow at Buck. 

Buck shrugged, "I try to limit my meat only a few times a month. My gut had problems and the doctor said I should cut off meat and I did for three months, and it's been great. Lowered my bodyfat count." 

"Dad hates vegetables," quipped Chris.

Eddie shot a death stare at Chris. 

Buck laughed, "Well maybe dad just haven't had good vegan food. I know some great dishes you can try."

"Dad doesn't know how to cook. He once almost burned the kitchen trying to cook eggs. Grandma banned him from the kitchen." 

Eddie went bright pink and gritted his teeth together, Chris would be the death of him. Eddie made a mental note to correct Chris in the future.

"Just for your info, I don't know how to use the stove. It was a fancy thing with so many knobs and stuff I don't even know what it does." 

Buck raised his eyebrow at Eddie. 

"Come on Eds, its eggs. I can show you a couple of recipes even an idiot like me can make up." 

"Yeah, how about you show me some of your moves, chef Gordon Ramsey!" 

Buck went pink. 

Breakfast continued like a dream. The food was great and delicious. Eddie felt full after breakfast. After that, all Eddie and Buck talked about the places they were going to. Chris was curious about Buck and all the people he had saved at his work. Things just feel so easy with Buck. It was like they had known each other for years. 

Buck and Eddie took their own cars to the museum. Once they reached the site, Eddie bought three tickets and the trio went about the huge museum. Eddie felt lucky that his child was a curious cat, Chris was reading every single thing on the board and that gave him time to talk to the man beside him. Buck was playful and kind. And there was this attraction about him that made everyone comfortable around him. Kids, ladies, the security guard... And Eddie was no different. He was attracted to Buck the moment he laid eyes on the man. But he was second to Chris. He only hopes that Buck has the same attraction to him. 

Eddie had observed how Buck talked to Chris. How attentive and interested he looked. Eddie had known, because of Chris's condition, sometimes people would treat him a little too consciously, a mix of pity and sensitivity every time they interact with him. But not Buck. He treated Chris like a regular child. And it was adorable. 

"Hey, Buck I gotta go to the toilet for a second," nudged Eddie, stopping as they passed a toilet. 

"Alright." 

Buck observed from afar as Chris had walked towards a huge and impressive portrait of a Latin king and queen in the middle of the gallery. Buck walked over to the kid and read the note. 

"King Luis Fernando and Queen Josephina, Mexico. 1788. Know anything about them, Chris?"

"That's my great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents, Buck," said Chris, pointing to the painting. "There's one like this at my house." 

Buck nodded humoring Chris's imagination, "If that's your great grandparents then you must be royalty. And if you're royalty then who can be superman?" 

Chris giggled and thought long and hard. 

"I think I can be superman and royalty at the same time," said Chris softly. 

Buck laughed, "Yeah, you can." 

Eddie returned a few minutes later also staring at the portrait with admiration. Buck noted how strangely similar the dead king looked like Eddie. There was an uncanny similarity in their profiles. Both handsome Latin men. The strong jaw and those huge broad shoulders. Buck can only imagine Eddie, wearing something lavish from the 17th century, how handsome he would look. 

"Queen Josephina, she's a great one. They call her Queen of Rags. While the men were off on excavation finding gold or fighting off settlers in the borders, Queen Josephina would go around the country in rags, unnoticed, tending to her people. She would visit villages and towns and help the poor. She was once mistakenly put into jail, and stayed there for an entire month, only when the royal ambassador arrive and saw their queen in jail. She pardoned the ones that mistaken her and even applauded them for their hard work. She championed the arts, education and gave special attention to special needs children and adults." 

Buck's jaw dropped to the floor. 

"That-that-that was amazing." 

Eddie shrugged, "I'm good in history." 

Buck grunted, "Don't remind me. I hated that stuff. All those dates and things that happened. Most of them are bad stuff anyway."

The trio spent a few good hours in the museum, particularly in the Latin America section. Eddie droned amazingly at everything related to South America, its economy, history, politics... Buck and Chris paid close attention to the amazing detail in Eddie's story. Eddie had made it like a fairytale, easy for Chris to digest. Maybe Buck too. After the museum tour, they went for a drive to Hollywood boulevard, something which Chris wasn't interested in despite the fantastic shops littered everywhere. 

The duo parked their car on top of a hill where they could see the sunset on the horizon. Eddie was completely mesmerized by the skyline against the orange backdrop. They had views like this in Mexico. But the skies in LA with the skyline. It was beautiful. 

"Thanks, Buck," whispered Eddie to Buck's ear. "For everything."

Buck felt shivers run down his spine. 

"It's no problem." 

Buck felt his heart beat faster. Eddie laid a hand on the crook of Buck's shoulder and pressed his thumb against his neck. Buck could feel his heart pounding in his chest. The light, the atmosphere, Eddie was so close and looking amazing at that moment, if Buck died at that moment, he would die a happy and fulfilled man. 

"It's everything to me, what you've done for us." 

They were oh so close. 

"Dad, look! I can see the hotel." 

-.-.-

"If you want, I can bring you guys to the fire station tomorrow."

"That would be amazing." 

The trio was right across from Eddie's hotel. Buck was surprised when Eddie had told him that he was staying at one of the fanciest hotels in Beverly Hills. They both did not want the day to end. Instead of going anywhere, they settled for chilling on the side of Eddie's car. Eddie listening to Buck talked excessively about all the ghost stories he had heard in the old Hollywood hotels. Eddie and Chris listened intensely. An hour slowly passed and Eddie knew he should've been back now. His mother and father would be wondering where they are.

"I guess I should go," said Eddie, sounding hesitant. 

"Yeah. Chris needs his sleep." 

"Yeah... Chris needs his sleep." 

They fell into a comfortable silence again. Both Eddie and Buck not wanting to leave each other. 

"You update me alright about the fire station tomorrow," said Eddie. 

"Sure, Eds." 

"Christopher, say goodnight Buck," said Eddie, patting his son's head.

"Goodnight, Buck," said Chris softly, he then stood on his tiptoes which made Buck crouch down to his height. 

"He always kisses people goodnight, you don't mind do you?" asked Eddie. 

"No, it's fine Eds." 

Chris gave a soft peck on Buck's cheek. 

"Goodnight, superman." 

Once Chris was in the back seat again, leaving only Eddie and Buck in the space, Buck felt clammy of a sudden. He put his hands in his jean pocket and enjoyed the comfortable silence between them. 

"Goodnight, Eds." 

"Goodnight, Buck." 

Eddie softly brushed his lips against Buck's cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Bobby, I was just wondering..." 

Buck paused and took a breath, unsure what was the reaction Bobby was going to give him. 

"Yeah. I was just about to call you." 

"Can I bring a friend and his kid over at the station tomorrow? My friend is from overseas and he has this smart kid. And I kinda told them that we can go see the station." 

Buck heard a soft sigh at the other end. He knows he should've told Bobby first before prematurely telling Eddie about visiting the fire station. 

"I'm going to need you to come back tomorrow," said Bobby disappointingly. 

"Huh, why? Tomorrow is my day off."

"A couple of our guys got injured during a call, and we need a couple of more hands to be on call for the governor's dinner tomorrow. The chief has ordered me to make sure all hands are on deck," explained Bobby. 

"But-but..."

"Whoever is this man, Buck. I apologize. He is more than welcome to come next time."

-.-.-

"Dad, are we going to see Buck tomorrow?" asked Chris softly between the covers. 

Eddie ran a hand across his son's hair. 

"Maybe." 

Chris pouted, "Can we go see him again? I like Buck." 

Eddie erupted into a huge smile, "I like Buck too. Come on you need your sleep. You walked a whole lot today." 

"Goodnight, dad." 

Eddie leaned in and Chris gave him his nightly kiss on the cheek. Eddie reciprocated the action and added an extra kiss on his son's forehead. 

"Goodnight, mijo."

Once Chris was sound asleep in the room, Eddie finally cleaned himself up and changed into a pair of clean briefs and a fluffy robe. He walked to the living room, noting a new brown envelope with his royal family seal stacked on the office table. Eddie opened the content and studied the document inside. 

"Right. We have the dinner tomorrow," said Eddie to himself. 

His mind instantly wandered off to Buck. They already made plans together. They were to visit the fire station where Buck works. Eddie made a mental curse. He should've remembered the dinner. Now he has to go telling the bad news to Buck. 

Eddie took his phone from the table. A missed call notification from Buck. Eddie felt his heart quickened and dialed the number. 

"Hey, Eds." 

"Hey, Buck."

"You called?" 

"Well, yeah." 

There was that comfortable silence between them again. Even hearing Buck's soft breathing from the other side of the phone calmed Eddie. His shoulders softened and Eddie found a comfortable spot on the couch to rest on. 

"I'm flattered, Buck. Who knew you would miss me so quickly," teased Eddie. 

"Ha ha. Funny." 

Eddie could imagine Buck right now, making a mocking face at him. The man was an open book. You can see all his emotions from his expressions. 

"I called because I have some disappointing news for you."

Buck suddenly sounded serious. 

"I just got a call from my boss at the station. And he told me to come to work tomorrow. A couple of guys got injured in the job and they want all hands on deck. I'm really-really sorry, Eds. This was really unexpected, and I shouldn't have promised you and Chris," explained Buck apologetically. 

"I understand," interrupted Eddie. 

Eddie could hear Buck exhale from the other side. Almost relieved. 

"You do?"

"No worries. We also have plans tomorrow. I totally forgot that we have a whole family thing that we can't get out of. That's the whole reason why we're here and I forgot about it like a big idiot," said Eddie. 

"You're not that big, Eds," teased Buck softly. "Maybe you have a little tummy from all the breakfast and lunch and dinner you ate. But that's okay. No one would mind" 

Eddie's grin grew impossibly wider. The grown man grabbed the nearest silk pillow and held it tightly between his arms. 

"Oh, you think that do you?" 

"As a 6"0 man. 180 pounds of muscle. Goes the gym five times a week," mentioned Buck. "You're not half-bad." 

Eddie laughed. 

"And what about you, mister vegan?" 

"I'm great, Eddie," boasted Buck. "Ladies love me, guys love me, babies love me, dogs love me. Heck, one time I went to the zoo, this giraffe wrapped his neck around me. The zookeeper said it was hugging me." 

Eddie hugged the pillow tighter. He imagined if anyone were to see him at that moment they would be questioning the legitimacy of the royal household. The crown prince and future king of the nation, cuddling with a pillow in only his bathrobe and boxers talking to his crush on the phone. This would make international headlines in a second. 

"Everyone loves you, Buck." 

"Don't be jealous, Eds," said Buck. "I'm sure there are plenty of giraffes that would love you too." 

Eddie burst out loud laughing. 

"You're ridiculous." 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Buck glanced at the mirror again. His pants were starch straight and not a wrinkle in sight. He checked his first responder uniform again, this time from a different angle. Everything was as neat as it could be. The entire team heard a mouthful from the chief earlier on. Everything had to be pressed and steamed and clean. Even the buttons had to be polished. 

"You look good," said Hen, admiring the young man up and down. "You look clean for a change." 

Buck grinned. 

"You should stop staring at me. I don't think Karen will like you looking at me like that." 

Hen shook her head and walked away from the young man. She had better things to do anyway. Especially in such a pressured time. 

Once everything was neat and uniformed, Buck walked out to join the rest of the team. 

They drove downtown to a fancy location near Beverly Hills. Rows and rows of mansions bigger than the next. They finally stopped at a huge giant Spanish style house hidden by rows and rows of tall and thick bushes. 

The vehicle stopped in the private spot. There were white tents erected for medical personnel. 

Buck had never seen an event that large being planned before. Workers were scurrying around running with flowers and tables and chairs. It looked so much easier than what they showed in the tv shows. Buck was almost hit by someone with a gigantic potted planted running towards him, lucky he dodged it. 

"Kinda fancy for a dinner party," said Buck, observing a huge light fixture being set up in the middle of the ballroom. 

"The king and queen of a country are here. You think they're gonna settle for McDonald's on the 4th?" 

Chim nudged Buck's abs. 

"Yeah. I mean it's only for four hours. What do you think will happen? It's a bunch of rich old dudes eating and talking and tell weird jokes right. All we have to do is sit back and relax." 

Chim grunted and continued starring at the humdrum of the event unfolding.

Luckily for the 118, something happened not shortly after. A worker was carrying a mammoth-sized marble statue when one of the belts got loose and struck him on the head. Hen and Chimney got to the scene while the rest of the team continued working. 

"Five more hours until the dinner," said Hen exhaustingly.

"They booked us the entire day so that we can be here for the next fifteen hours, only for the dinner to be only four hours. Why bother booking us the entire day?" 

Chim gave a look at Hen who only sighed. He doesn't want to admit it and giving Buck the day of light, but he was right. 

"Do you guys know who the guests are?" 

Hen fumed, "I did do some googling..."

"Oh, tell!" 

"A whole bunch of rich people are invited to the dinner. We're talking rich, famous and powerful. I read Richard Murdoch is here. Along with Oprah. Obama is here as well. Some celebrities and models. I heard Bono is invited, I'm not too sure if he's performing."

Buck's jaws dropped.

"Wow. That is some list. Who do you think is the richest one tonight? Is Bill Gates invited?"

"Could it be Richard Murdoch? He's worth like 20 billion dollars-"

"What!" 

"Yeah, but the Mexican royal family is much richer," interjected Chim. 

Buck and Hen starred at him in disbelief. "They're like worth a combined 40 billion dollars. But their real net worth is a secret. The king is one of the richest men in central America. He owns like all these huge plantations and farms and stuff. I read it just now."

"No wonder security is tight."

From that moment until dinner, the 118 sat and talked. Hoping that nothing happens during that evening. Knowing the group of people invited, one wrong move and it will be over for not only their careers but could jeopardize the good name of entire state. 

-.-.-.-.-

"Mijo, you got everything?" 

Eddie glanced at Chirs who had entered the room. Chris made a small turn at his dad, showing off his black tuxedo with a maroon cummerbund around his waist. 

"Dad, can I not wear the bowtie, it itches," whined Chris, scratching his neck. 

"Come on, you know it's a formal dinner," said Eddie, persuading his child. "I tell you what, do you want to trade suits with me?"

Chris looked up and down at his father and frowned. 

Eddie was wearing his formal royal uniform. There were a bunch of huge fancy broaches on his upper right breast and gold epaulets on his shoulders. And the buttons of his jacket went all up to his neck. It does not look very comfortable. 

"Do I have to wear the sash?" 

Eddie nodded. 

Chris fumed. The bright blue sash across his dad's body looked like you need to be standing straight every second or else it will get wrinkled. 

"Is the collar itchy?" 

"You have no idea," said Eddie with a smile. 

"Then no. I don't want to change." 

Eddie laughed and patted Chris's head. 

"Dad, can we see Buck tomorrow?" asked Chris sheepishly, following his dad to the adjoining room. "We haven't seen him all day." 

Eddie frowned. 

So Chris misses Buck too eh? He definitely wasn't alone.

Eddie hadn't stopped thinking about Buck the entire day. Even while in a meeting with his parents and the advisors, planning the dinner, his mind kept drifting to the blonde man.

Is it silly to say that he misses Buck?

They only met two days ago. How could he pine over a man he just met. 

Eddie made a mental sigh. Gosh, what would he do to see Buck again. 

Eddie and Chris entered his parent's room. 

King Ramon was fully dressed in his royal robes and was pouring at his speech in the corner. Queen Helena was being helped by one of her attendants at putting on one of the family jewels.

Eddie remembers the schedule by heart. Before the big dinner, there will be a short speech delivered by the King, thanking the kind welcome they received from the city during their short stay.   
After that, some diplomatic talk between their countries. To end the night, a special performance by Marc Anthony and Ariana Grande. The dinner. And last, the fireworks.

"Eddie, you look so handsome," said Helena, noting her son in the room. "You look like a real prince charming."

"Gracias, mama."

"Hola abuela," greeted Chris. 

"My-my you look so handsome, Chris," cooed Helena. She went to Chris and put her arms around his tiny shoulders. "I am not surprised if everyone cannot take eyes off you." 

Chris grinned and tugged on his bowtie again. 

"Can I not wear the bow?" 

Helena laughed. 

"It will only be for a short while. Look at your father and grandfather. You want to be wearing their uniforms?" asked Helena, pointing to Eddie and his dad. 

Eddie darted to Ramon at the corner of the space. Ramon was hunched over on a piece of paper on the table. Eddie knows from experience that it is not the time to disturb his dad while he is focusing on his work. King duties. With a finishing sigh, Ramon got up from his seat and tucked the piece of paper in his jacket pocket. 

"Eddie, you look... Like a prince," said Ramon, approving his son's getup. 

"Gracias, papa." 

"And Chris," Ramon turned on his cooing voice, reserved for only his grandchildren. "You look so handsome. You better get ready cause all the ladies are going to want you all to themselves! Helena, go get security cause Chris is going to be stealing some hearts."

Chris laughed. 

"Your majesties, a photo before the dinner," said one of the attendants entering the room. 

"Yes. Yes." 

Eddie, Chris, and Eddie's parents got into their formal positions. The King and Queen at the center with Eddie by the King's side and Chris beside Eddie. 

"One more." 

They took another one. 

"And a casual one for the family books," said the attendant. 

Eddie quickly grabbed Chris and carried him in his arms. 

"Perfect your majesties." 

-.-.-.-

Dinner went on smoothly. King Ramon and the governor of the California gave their speeches. Eddie talked to some delegates that bored him to death. He glanced at Chris who was silent the entire and was itching at his neck again. 

"Dad, it itches," whined Chris, tugging on the bowtie. 

Eddie leaned towards his son. 

"I know, mijo. I am sorry, but only a few more minutes," whispered Eddie, and planting a soft kiss on Chris's forehead. 

"Dad..."

Eddie suddenly felt Chris hit his thigh. 

"Dad..." 

"Mijo? Que paso?" 

Eddie turned to Chris who was suddenly hyperventilating by his side. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was extremely flushed. The prince very discreetly got up from his seat and carried his son out of the main hall. All Eddie could hear was Chris's short and painful breathing. 

Once he reached backstage, Eddie called for help. 

"Paramedics!" 

In seconds, two paramedics rushed with a stretcher. Eddie placed Chris on the stretcher and took several steps away from the scene. The first responders immediately checked Chris's vitals.

"His throat is closing up, he's having an allergic reaction," said the lady. 

"We need to give him an Epinephrine shot," said the Asian paramedic. 

Eddie and the first responders ran through the kitchen to the medical tent in the backyard. 

As Eddie watched the scene unfolded, he felt his heart beating in his ears. He had never felt such a horrible disgusting taste in his mouth. Seeing Chris on the stretcher at the edge of his life, and here he was... 

"Buck, we need a kid's Epinephrine shot," said the dark skin woman. 

Milliseconds later, a familiar man appeared in the tent with a long pen. He quickly took the pen and poked it onto Chris's thigh. It took a few excruciating seconds until Chris finally stopped hyperventilating. 

"Chris?" 

Buck's eyes bulged as he saw the little boy on the stretcher. He then turned to Eddie who was in the tent only a few meters from him. 

Chris suddenly took a deep breath and let out a couple of dry coughs. 

"We need to send him to a hospital," said Chim. "Your highness, please follow us."

"Your highness?"

Buck and Chim lifted Chris in the ambulance. Eddie jumped along behind them. Tears welled in Eddie's eyes seeing his son in that terrible situation. If he hadn't reacted in a second, Chris would be gone. It was the worst thing he had ever gone through in life.

"Hey, he'll be alright," whispered Buck, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder. 

Eddie bit his lip and pressed on Buck's hand on top of his shoulder. 

They arrived in the hospital and Chris was taken into the emergency department. As Eddie waited, Buck stood right by his side in complete silence. Buck noted the fancy dress Eddie was wearing. How handsome he looked. He looked like he jumped out from the pages of a fairytale book. 

Buck shook his thoughts out of his mind. Now is not the time to ask questions, Buck could only wonder what was going through Eddie's mind at that moment. 

"Your Highness," said the doctor, interrupting their silence. 

Eddie and Buck stood up. 

"How is Chris? Is he okay?" 

"His highness asked for you," grinned the doctor, and then turned his attention to Buck. "And you too." 

"Me?" 

Buck looked at the doctor incredulously. 

The doctor nodded. 

They walked through the plain white doors and into the kid's ward. At the corner, Chris was on the hospital bed with a book in his lap, reading aloud to himself. Eddie felt the biggest relief in his life as he saw his young son was back to his normal self.

"Dad!" 

Eddie ran up to Chris and wrapped him in his arms. 

"You scared me, mijo." Eddie planted many kisses on the kid's head. "Don't ever scare me like that ever again. I think I grew a couple of white hairs in a few hours." 

Chris laughed and gave a peck on Eddie's cheek. 

It was there he realized a tall blonde man in the same room. 

"Bucky!" 

Buck made the biggest smile and walked to the little boy. 

"Hey, superman. You were really brave today." 

"I was?" 

"Yeah," said Buck earnestly. "You should've seen it when we tried to save you. Didn't even flinch a bit. You were all cool and relax. Nothing got passed you. Unlike your old man here..."

Chris giggled as his eyes landed on Eddie. Even Eddie can't help himself but grin when Buck teased him. 

"I heard he grew a couple of white hairs," added Buck, his playful eyes never leaving Eddie's. 

Chris giggled louder. 

They played with Chris for a few moments before the little boy started to feel sleepy again. Once he was all snuggled up underneath the covers, Eddie took the book from his hands and placed it right back to the kid's rack. 

"Buck, the King, and Queen are here." 

Eddie overheard the message from Buck's radio. 

The oxygen was suddenly snatched away from the room. 

"Come on, you got to meet my parents." 

Buck followed Eddie to the Emergency waiting area. The space was suddenly surrounded by bodyguards. King Ramon and Queen Helena was standing in the middle of the room with the doctor from earlier. 

"Eddie, que paso?" 

"He's fine," said Eddie gently. "He just fell asleep after I read to him a story." 

"Ay Dios." 

Queen Helena made a grateful expression and hugged the doctor beside her. 

"Doctor, thank you very much," said Queen Helena, to the stunned doctor. 

"Thank you, doctor," added King Ramon, giving the doctor a grateful nod. "If it wasn't for you. We don't want to think about what could happen to our grandson." 

The doctor flushed, feeling hot from the compliments from actual royalty. 

"It's nothing your highnesses. When the first responders got here, he was already stable. We were only making sure there weren't any complications." 

"But, you still did help," stated Queen Helena. "And that is the most important thing." 

The doctor was stunned silent again. 

"I think we should let Chris rest a little while. And then we can take him back in two to three hours," said Eddie, darting a look to the doctor who nodded in approval. 

"Ay, I should've known when he said his neck itches. How could I be so blind," expressed Queen Helena. 

-.-.-.-.-

"So, you're royalty huh?" 

"I guess you can say that," replied Eddie softly, hiding the hesitance in his voice. 

"I guess?" 

"Dude, I just met the King and Queen of a freaking country. And you're the crown prince!" 

Eddie chuckled. 

Buck and Eddie were standing on the rooftop at the hospital. The director of the hospital had given Eddie special permission to use it for a few minutes. When they got up to the roof and saw the view, Eddie knew this was the perfect place to tell everything to Buck. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Would you look at me differently if I told you I was?" 

Buck suddenly became silent. 

"Every single day of my life, since I was born, people treated me differently. Not because of something I did, or anything. But because I was born in this family. Every single day of my life, everyone had to walk on eggshells around me. It's worst for Christopher...

"From the moment we met, you didn't treat me differently for a second. I'm just a regular guy. And you treated Chris like a regular kid too. And today, what you did just now, you affirmed something that I wanted to do since I second I saw you that day at the pier..."

Eddie took a deep breath. 

"Will you go out with me?" 

Buck remained silent. His gaze was suddenly occupied with the skyline ahead of them. He then looked at his shoes. 

The silence was nerve wrecking for Eddie. 

"Eddie, I know this sounds crazy, heck tonight has been crazy. So here it goes," Buck took a sharp breath. 

"I like you. I really-really like you. I know it's only two days and four hours. And honestly, whose counting. I don't know how this would work. And I don't know how my sister and the station will take this. But I most definitely want to go on a date with you."


End file.
